What's up people? Time for another edition of the roundup. This time it's all about the trade deadline, and just what it means for the rest of the season. Some teams got better, and some just unloaded some big contracts. One thing is for sure and that's the league has a totally different look than it did just two weeks ago. After the huge trades for Gasol, Shaq, and Jason Kidd it really looked like there wasn't much else that could be done. The East was looking like a two team race between Detroit and Boston, while several Western teams were looking to be in danger of falling by the wayside if they didn't change things soon. The Lakers were in danger of being done in by Andrew Bynum's injury, the Spurs were looking old, and Dallas was looking lethargic. The only team playing with real fire was New Orleans. Now those other three teams and the Suns are re-energized and ready to fight to the finish.
To be honest with you, making a prediction for how the West will wind up is completely crazy. It's going to come down to which teams can stay healthy and incorporate their new guys the quickest. One bad week could drop you from first overall to fifth place, or from fourth place to out entirely. This thing probably won't be resolved until the last week of the season, and it's going to be a lot of fun to watch.
The Big Ones
San Antonio gets Kurt Thomas from Seattle for Francisco Elson, Brent Barry, and some other trash: Typical Spurs move, getting a veteran big man in Thomas who can rebound well and defend in the post. This was obviously done to counteract the additions of Pau Gasol and Shaq in L.A. and Phoenix, respectively, and it's a good deal. The Spurs needed two legit big men in their frontcourt to do battle in the playoffs, and now they have them. The Sonics got to dump a contract for some expiring ones and got some cash.
Cleveland gets Delonte West, Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, and Wally Szczerbiak for Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Shannon Brown, Cedric Simmons, and other random junk: The Cavs needed a point guard and a shooter, and got both. They also have another tough guy in Wallace to play alongside center Zydrunas Illgauskas, and a reserve who can score in Smith. They're ready to go to playoff war now, and have as good a chance at the Finals as anyone else. The Bulls got rid of Wallace, who was just not working out there as hoped, and were able to pick up Hughes and Gooden, who aren't great players but are better ones than they had at their respective positions.
Houston trades Bonzi Wells and Mike James for Bobby Jackson: This was good because the Rockets, as I suspected at the start of the season, had too much on their roster at the guard and swingman position. They started out with guards Rafer Alston, Luther Head, Steve Francis and James, and swingmen Wells and Shane Battier. That's six guys to share minutes in two spots along with whatever minutes T-Mac left on the table at the three spot. Needless to say, it wasn't working. Now things have been pared down to Alston, Head, and Jackson at guard with Battier as a swingman. So instead of a six man cluster you-know-what you have a nice and neat two deep rotation for each guard position.
The final verdicts
The Bulls are rebuilding: They basically took their game plan for this season and threw it in the trash. Now instead of loading up for a deep postseason run this year they've pretty much thrown in the towel. From hear on out, it's all about figuring out if the rookies (Joakim Noah and Aaron Gray) are worth keeping and whether or not the young vets Luol Deng and Ben Gordon are worth big extensions or should be dealt. I vote yes on the rookies, no on keeping Gordon, and maybe on Deng. If he asks for too much, I'd trade him, too. He's not a franchise guy, and may not even reach the All-Star potential he flashed last season. You don't give huge money to a guy like that. Gordon will almost certainly be signed and dealt, and second year man Tyrus Thomas may be shipped out as well. By this time next season, the Bulls could look entirely different than they do now.
The Cavs are back in the hunt: I think it's safe to say we now have a three team race in the East. Cleveland may still only finish fourth, but I'd rank them third in terms of quality. After last season's improbable Finals run, the Cavs were stuck in neutral for much of this season. They made no moves in the offseason and fell behind pretty quickly to the revamped Celtics and Magic, and the consistency in Detroit. They were looking more and more like a team that might win their first round series and then go quietly in the next round to either Boston or Detroit. Not so anymore. They improved their roster all around, and won't have the glaring weaknesses in outside shooting and at point guard that they had a few days ago.
Wild, Wild West: As I mentioned in the opener, the West is unpredicatable right now. If Andrew Bynum comes back healthy, I still like the Lakers to come out of the West. If not, then it's anybody's game. The Spurs still look like this is an off year for them, but you cannot undersetimate them, especially if they get everyone back healthy. Dallas will benefit from Jason Kidd's presence, but Dirk still has to man up in order for them to pull through. Phoenix is relying on the rejuvenation of an old Shaquille O'Neal; if it works, then they could take it. And New Orleans is trying to rain on al their parade's behind MVP candidate Chris Paul. You can't rule them ou either. Or Houston or Utah. That's seven teams that could legitimately win the conference or at least get to the conference finals. Good luck figuring that one out!
The Suns will win the West.. trust me *wink* *wink*
Ben Wallace was the worst pickup of the trade deadline bar none
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